Philadelphia’s contributions to the Bandstand era of American music will be memorialized in a new mural at Broad and Tasker streets. The unveiling of South Philly Musicians Remix, created by Mural Arts Philadelphia‘s Eric Okdeh, will take place on Saturday, October 15th with a few recognizable faces in attendance (and on the wall).

Jerry Blavat, The Geator With The Heator, is one of Philly’s greatest music legends. So when you’re talking the Philly music scene from the earliest days of American Bandstand, when The Geator was a dancer on the show, the go-to guy, hands down, is The Boss With The Hot Sauce. Every Saturday night at 6 p.m., Jerry DJ’s The Geator’s Rock and Roll Rhythm and Blues Express on WXPN, and XPN’s Bob Bumbera got him on the phone to drop some awesome history for Philly Music Day, #tbtXPN. Continue reading →

Free Cake for Every Creature | Photo by Alyssa Yohana | courtesy of the artist

It’s never a good idea to judge a band by its name — except in the case of Free Cake for Every Creature, the rare instance of a band name whose charming and playful name happens to perfectly mirror their music. With lyrics like “For you I’d steal a 50-cent machine / and we won’t need money or anything / cause we’ll have gumballs,” the Philly-via-Upstate New York four-piece emit a delighful lo-fi pop vibe that’s reminiscent of Double Double Whammy label-mate Frankie Cosmos. They’re gearing up to release their newest record Talking Quietly of Anything With You in April, and tonight you can find them at the First Unitarian Church. Grab tickets to the show at the XPN Concert Calendar. Continue reading →

Jerry Blavat, The Geator With The Heater, with his pal Sammy Davis, Jr. This Wednesday, August 21st at 11AM, Jerry Blavat – The Geator With The Heator, The Boss With The Hot Sauce – will speak at the National Constitution Center as part of center’s 1968 Exhibit. During “Stories of ’68.” the Geator will share his memories on music and more from the year 1968. This program is free with regular museum admission. Go here for more information on the appearance and the The 1968 Exhibit at the Constitution Center. The Geator hosts The Geator’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Rhythm and Blues Express weekly on WXPN on Saturday’s at 6PM. He recently published his must-read autobiography, You Only Rock Once: My Life In Music. 1968 was a busy year for the Geator (when is any year NOT a busy year for The Geator?). His local television show, Jerry’s Place, was going strong, and The Geator appeared on The Monkees; watch a clip of it below. The Geator has no shortage of fantastic stories and we’re certain he’ll share some great ones tomorrow at the Constitution Center.

Every Saturday night (that would be tonight) on WXPN at 6 p.m., Jerry Blavat – The Geator with the Heater, The Boss with the Hot Sauce – hosts The Geator’s Rock N Roll Rhythm and Blues Express, one hour of the legendary Philly DJ doing what he does best: playing records, talking history, telling stories and taking us back in time. The Geator has his devoted legions of fans and writer, musician, urban planner (and former WXPN intern) Jeff Barg is one of them. Barg recently wrote a Philly Love Note to the Geator:

Dear Jerry “the Geator” Blavat,

I sometimes think I was born in the wrong decade. I can read history books and comb through old Inquirer and Evening Bulletin clippings and even talk to older Philadelphians, but all that will still only tell me what the city looked and acted like. But every Saturday night at 6, I can hear what it sounded like.

The Geator’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Rhythm ‘n’ Blues Express is a sonic time machine to a simpler Philadelphia, a time when street corners thrummed to the rhythm of doo-wop harmonies, and literally thousands of “yon teens” would cram into the Chez Vous Lounge or the Wagner Ballroom on a Saturday night to show off the latest dance crazes.

Jerry Blavat, The Geator, hosts The Geator's Rock 'N' Roll Rhythm & Blues Express on WXPN Tomorrow evening, Wednesday, January 9th, at 7:30pm, there will be a free sneak preview of the latest episode of the television documentary show Danny’s Guitar Shop at World Cafe Live (Upstairs). The episode, “Spinning Platters That Matter,” features World Cafe host David Dye and Jerry Blavat, The Geator With The Heator, the Boss With The Hot Sauce and Maxwell from Q102. Both Dye and Blavat will be at the sneak preview. The show is about the history of DJ’s and pop radio and will air on WHYY on Sunday January 13th and on YArts Wednesday January 16th. Danny’s Guitar Shop started as a radio feature on WXPN. You can watch previous episodes of the show here. Go here for more information about the event at World Cafe Live.

Jerry Blavat – aka The Geator With The Heater – has the incredible ability to tell some of the greatest stories from his musical past, which stretches from Bandstand on WFIL to Memories in Margate. Yesterday he posted a video on his Facebook page talking about how he persuaded the community to allow the teenagers to do “The Twist,” which initially was perceived to be a “dirty dance.” The video is from Philadelphia: The Great Experiment. Don’t forget to listen to The Geator Saturday nights at 6PM on WXPN as he hosts “The Geator’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Rhythm & Blues Express.”

Davy Jones, the one-time teen idol who was the lead singer of The Monkees, has passed away. He was 66 years old. We reached out to Jerry Blavat, The Geator With The Heater, host of The Geator’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Rhythm and Blues Express (Saturdays at 6 pm on WXPN) to talk about Davy. In March 1968, The Geator appeared on an episode of The Monkees called “Some Like It Lukewarm” where the band enters a talent contest sponsored by a local radio station. The Geator plays the radio station’s general manager. In October 1968, The Monkees made an appearance on The Geator’s television show, Jerry’s Place, to promote their new album at the time, HEAD. Talking about Davy Jones and The Monkees, The Geator had this to say:

Out of all of the guys in The Monkees, Davy was the most likable and the most fun. People ask me what their legacy was. Their legacy was they were our American answer to The Beatles – more fun, cutting it up, psychedelic. When people think of The Monkees I really believe they think about Davy Jones. I remember when they came by Jerry’s Place. You know who was with them? A very young Jack Nicholson. We did the show at WFIL (tv studios) and if you remember when the show starts I do this dance. So, Jack was standing at the studio door where I always came out of to start the show and I’d dance out the door, right up the ramp on one leg. At the end of the show Nicholson said to me: ‘Geator, how did you do that?'” But Davy, he’ll be missed. I had a lot of fun when I did their television show.

For years he’s entertained us on the radio and TV. He hosts the Geator’s Rock and Roll Rhythm & Blues Express every Saturday night on WXPN at 6 p.m. for an hour of radio that a cat like only The Geator can pull off in his inimitable way. Tonight at 7:30pm, the legendary Boss With The Hot Sauce, The Geator With The Heater, Jerry Blavat will appear at the Free Library of Philadelphia to speak about his new book You Only Rock Once: My Life In Music. The Geator will be interviewed by music journalist and musician Tom Moon. The event is free and open to the public; click here for more information.

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

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About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH